Sheet-metal machine-frame construction.



Patented Dec.-26, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET l- P. KEMPTER.- SHEET METAL MACHINE FRAME cowsmucnow.

I Y APPLICATION ,FILED JUNE 30. 19:6.

P. 'KEMPTER. SHEET METAL MACHINE FRAME CbNSTBUCTlON.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, I915- Patented Dec. 26,1916.

3 SVHEETSSHEET 2.

i IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII P. KEMPTER'. SHEET METAL MACHINE" FRAME CONSTRUCTION APPLICATION FILED JUNE-30, I916.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

3 SHEETSLSHEET 3.

i m'ue nfoz UNITED STATES PATENT 0mm.

PHILIP KEMP'IER, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCQNSIN, ASSIGNOR TO GEUDER, PAESCI-IKE & FREY 00., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

Application filed June 30, 1916. Serial No. 106,784.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP KEMPTER, a citizen of the United States,'residing in Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Machine-Frame Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention. relates to the construction of machine frame or casing members which carry shafting, gearing or other machine elements which. are required to be maintalned in precise position or alinement, the frame or casing being made wholly or chiefly from sheet metal.

The use of bent, stamped or drawn sheet metal for various structural purposes has been greatly extended in recent years, as the processes for manipulating such metal and producing desired shapes have been perfected, and it is now recognized that, wherever its use is possible, it possesses marked advantages over cast metal as a structural material. Generally speaking, these advantages are that it has a high tensile strength and so. is stronger and lighter. It may also be formed thinner than is practical with cast metal, further insuring lightness, and it may be worked cheaper than/cast metal, particularly wherearticles-are to be made in considerable quantities. Its use has, however, not been considered practicable for -many purposes because of the inability to machine it so as to produce accurately fit ted surfaces and because of its lack of rigidity. For the latter reason its use has been deemed impractical where it would be required to support machine elements transmitting substantial power, as for instance, engine crank shafts, transmission shafts, heavy gearing, etc. In such cases no way has been known of securing the high degree ofrigidity necessary to enable the frame or casing to withstand the re-actions caused by the power transmission without yielding to such an extent as to destroythe alinement of the bearings or gearing and so preventing satisfactory operation. For these reasons, cast metal exclusively has been retained in use as the structural material for supporting such machine elements. As an example this situation modern automobile construction may be referred to. In automobile construction lightness is a most important desideratum, and furthermore due to thelarge scale production which now obtains, great numbers of identical parts are manufactured. Sheet metal has accordingly been adopted as the structural material, wherever it has been thought possible to use it, as, for instance, for fender and body parts and also lower half crank case members which are not required to withstand high stresses due to the operation of the engine. Other parts of the construction have, however, continued to be made of cast metal, such for instance as the engine cylinders, the upper half c'ank case member, which carry the bearings for the engine, crank shaft and cam shaft, and the transmission casings or gear boxes which carry the transmission gearing and countershafts. In the more. expensive cars these parts have frequently been made of cast aluminum, so

as to reduce the weight as far as possible,

but the cost of this material has been prohibitir'e of its use in the cheaper cars, and

.cast iron has therefore been generally used with corresponding very substantial increase 111 Weight.

'My present invention relates to the construction of bearing and she t supporting parts and the like mainly or wholly from sheet metal, but reinforced in such a way as to secure the necessary rigidity and strength, whereby I am enabled to manufacture these parts as light as orlighter than if made of cast aluminum, and at a cost less than that of cast iron parts.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention as illustrative of the principle thereof and of the best mode now known to me for practising the same. For such illustrative purposes I have chosen a unit power plant construction for automobiles which embodies two forms of casing or supporting members of novel construction, a gear box or transmission casing and an upper half crank case member, but it will beunderstood that my invention is applicable to other uses.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View, partly in section, of a unit power plant for automobiles. F 1g. 2 is a perspective view of the gear box or transn'iission casing shown in Fig. 1'. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of one end of the gear box, reinforcing plate and bearing member, the position of the upper half crank case member of the power plate shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on hne VV of F1 at.

Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the opposite sides of a crank case, having an upper half crank case member of the form shown in Fi at. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the lower half crank case member.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Fig. 1 shows a unit power plant construction. such as is employed in automobiles and comprises the engine 1 and the sliding gear transmission 2. Unit power plant construction is characterized by the fact that the transmission casing or gear box is rigidly connected with the engine crank case, the main t'ansmission shaft being thereby maintained in permanent fixed alinemcnt with the engine crank shaft. The chief parts of the engine are the cylinders 23, the upper halfcrank case 4; and the lower half crank case 5. These two members form the casing and inclose the crank shaft, 6 to the cranks of which the connecting rods 7 are attached. At the upper ends the rods engage the pistons (not shown). The engine will, of course, be provided with suitable valve mechanism, which it has not been thought necessary to illustrate, the valves being operated from the cam shaft 8, which is driven-from the crank shaft through suitable gearing- 9. At the opposite end the crank shaft carries the fly wheel 10 with which engages the clutch cone 11. which is mounted on the transmission shaft 12. The transmission gears 13 are mounted on this shaft and 'on the countershafts, one of which is illust'ated at 14. These" operative parts of the engine and transmission have been illustrated conventionally as they form no part'o-f my persent invention. The latter relates to the construction f supporting members or casings for the operative parts, 7

these casings being made of sheet metal, and so constructed and reinforced as to be capable of sustaining the shafting, gears, etc, in proper operative alinement. I will now describe the construction of these novel supporting or casing members. referring specifically first to the transmission gear box shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. 20 indicates the gear box or transmission casing, which may be. either formed integrally from a sheet lnetal'drawing or may be built up. of sheet metal elements uiiited by autogenous welding or otherwise. Where the casing forms partof a unit power plant construction asin theexample illustrated. it will preferably have a fly wheel housing section 21, also prcfta'ably made of sheet metal and united to the casing by welding or otherwise. this housing having a flange 22 by which it may be bolted to a flange on the c ank case.

The gear casing is preferably open at the top as shown at 23 and may also be provided with other openings such as 241: in the side Valls. Suitable openings, such as 25, 26 and 27 are formed in the end walls of the casing for the bearings for the shafts upon which the gears are mounted. In order to reinforce the casing and more particularly to provide the necessary stock to permit the surfaces to be machined so as to make accurate fitting and alinement of the parts possible, reinforcing plates of relatively heavy rolled or other metal are attached at proper locations in any suitable manner, as by spot welding. In the construction illustrated, reinforcing plates 28 and 29 are welded to the end walls of the casing and the outer surfaces thereof are accurately machined, so as to form proper supporting surfaces for the members 30 which carry the bearings 31 for the shafts. The bearing carrying plates or members 30 are preferably formed of cast metal and may, of course, be provlded with bearings of any suitable character, those illustrated being v ball bearings. These plates have accurately machined inner surfaces adapted to fit the machined surfaces of the reinforcing plates 28 and 29 and to be secured in place thereon in any suitable manner as by cap screws 32. The plates 28 and 29 provide sufficient stock for the groper engagement of these screws or other attaching means. The flange 22 is also perferably provided with a reinforc ing plate which may be machined so as to insure the proper alinement of the gear box and the engine crank case when the two are bolted together, this plate also strengthening the flange and providing adequate stock for engagement of the attaching bolts. The openings 23' and 2t in the gear box are also preferably provided with reinforo ing plates 34 and about their peripheries, which may be machined to permit the lids or covers for these openings to be fitted tightly thereto, so as to prevent the escape of grease or entrance of dust or dirt, and to provide stock for the engagement of the cover attaching screws. The surfaces of the plates 28 and 29 and of the bearing carrying frames or plates being machined true, it will be seen that the bearings may be alined with the necessary accuracy, and,

owing to the reinforcement of the sheet metal casing by these plates, such alinement will be accurately maintained notwithstanding the heavy stresses resulting from the. transmission of power through the gearing. In this way, it will be seen that :1 casing formed chiefly of sheet metal is pro- 1 vided which is cheap to construct, light and at the same time strong and rigid, so as to be able to support the power transmission gearing and shafts mounted therein.

Referring now to the crankcase which is cast. metal.

brackets are secured in the shell in any suit- ,n, i givfr Min mal in the brac illustrated in detail in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, this is constructed in parts as is customary in this type of engine, the engine crank shaft being mounted in bearings located at the plane of separation between the two crank case members, while the engine 'cylinders are bolted to the upper half crank case member in a well-understood manner. The lower half crank case member 5 is of any suitable construction, it being shown as comprising a sheet metal stamping or draw ing having within the same an oil reservoir or pan 40. Around its upper edgeit is preferablyreinforced by a Welded-on plate l]., which may be machined to a true surface, so as to fit closely against the bottom flange of the upper half crank case member. The upper half crank case member 4 comprises a sheet metal stamping or drawing l2 which forms its main shell. This shell has at its lower edge a projecting flange l3 preferably reinforced by a Welded-on plate as, the lower half crank case member being bolted or otherwise suitably connected to this flange. On top of the shell is a plate l5 also preferably welded on, which is machined true, so as to form abase for the engine cylinders which are adapted to be firmly secured thereon in any suitable manner, preferably by bolts 46. (See Fig. 1.)- In order to strengthen and render rigid the shell l2 and more particularly to provide rigid means for supporting the engine crank shaft and cam shaft, I secure in the shell a suitable number of bearing supporting members or brackets l7, which are rigidly constructed, preferably of These bearing supports or able manner as by welding, riveting or bolting. The number of these brackets used corresponds to the number of hearings on the crank shaft, and as illustrated each bracket has a bearing recess 48 in its under side, the bearings being completed by caps 4-9 held in place by bolts 50 or otherwise. T he brackets are also provided. with suit-- able recesses 51 to receive the cam shaft bearings (See Fig. l.) The cylinder castings being secured directly on the top plate of the upper half crank case shell, and the brackets 47 carrying the crank shaft, being rigidly secured within the shell and shutting directly against the under side of the top thereof. it will be seen. that accuracy of alincmcnt and rigidity of relation between the cylinders and crank shaft will be assured and satisfactory operation of the engine thereby achieved. In some cases. in fact, the b lts 50 may be extended at their upper ends through the flanges in the lower ends of the cylinders or into the cylinder astings so as to directly connect the cylinilcrs and brackets. Accuracy of alincinent o the can: shaft is also soon] d lay same time, the shell constituting the chief part of The upper crank case member s made of sheet metal of great thinness but high tensile strength so that a large saving in weight is obtained over crank cases made of cast iron. The shell moreover is of such shape and construction that it can be stamped or drawn between dies in a very simple manner and at a very low cost, it being easier to make a thin shell of this character by such process than by casting. The cast bearing supporting brackets are moreover of such a character that the casting operations are very simple so that all the parts of the crank case can be manufactured at a minimum cost.

The crank case may be provided, if desired, with suitable supplemental parts or casings for inclosing the timing gears, fly wheel, etc. As illustrated, a sheet metal casing is provided at one end of the crank case in which the timing gears and generator driving gear-are adaptedto be mounted, while, at the other end the crank case is provided with a flanged housing 61 for the fly wheel. The flange 62 of this housing is adapted to have bolted to it the flange 22 of the complemental housing member 21 of the transmission gear box, in the particular, construction shown. In the construction of crank case illustrated, l have shown the flange .3 of theupper half crank case member extended at one side to form a shelf 65 which is adapted tosupport the electrical units, such as the generator 66 (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7), or other auxiliaries, the shelf being preferably strengthened by Welded-on brackets 67 A very firm, and at the same time, cheap and simple support for these auxiliaries is thus provided. From the foregoing it will be seen that l have devised a sheet metal construction for the casings or supporting members of machine elements, in which the advantages of both sheet metal and cast metal. construction are obtained. ll liile the structures are chiefly formed of sheet metal, with its attendant advantages, these sheet metal parts are reinforced at the needed points. Extra stock is provided where required to add strength or to provide for machining and the actual. support and alinement of the li earings is accomplished by the use of rigid portions, preferably formed of cast metal. it will be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular construction above described but that the principle of my invention may be applied in other ways and for other purposes. 1

llaving thus described my invention, l rzs' 2. In a sheet metal housing for machine elements, such as shafting, gearing, etc., the combination of a sheet metal casing and rigid bearing supporting frames rigidly attached thereto and supported thereby.

3.- The combination with a sheet metal housing for machine-elements, including a plurality of rotatable shaft members, of rigid frames secured to said housing and supported thereby, and bearings for a plurality of said rotatable members carried by said frames, said bearings being located in predetermined rigid relation to each other.

1., A sheet metal housing of the character described, reinforcing plates rigidly secured thereto, the surfaces of said plates being machined to predetermined dimensions, and cast metal bearing supporting frames rigidly attached to said housing.

In automobile construction, the combination of an engine crank case including an upper half crank case member of sheet metal and the sheet metal gear box attached to said crank case.

6. In automobile construction, the combination of an. engine crank case including a sheet metal upper half crank case member, said crank case having a flanged fly wheel housing at one end thereof, and a sheet metal transmission gear box having an extension carrying a flange secured to the flange of said fly wheel housing on the crank case. A

7. A sheet metal transmission gear box. cast iron frames secured thereto and sup ported thereby, and bearings carried by said frames for each of the shafts in said gear box, whereby said shafts are held in predetermined relative alinement.

8. A sheet metal transmission gear boxreinforcing plates rigidly secured to the ends thereof, the outer surfaces of said plates beingmachined true, and irast iron bearing supporting fi'ames attached to said plates.

9. A sheet metal'transmission gear box having a flanged extension at one end thereof for attachment to a crank case and having reinforced ends, and bearing frames carried by said ends.

10. In engine construction, a sheet metal upper half crank case member,'and rigid bearing carrying members rigidly mounted therein and supported thereby.

11. In engine construction, a sheet metal upper half crank case member and cast metal bearing frames rigidly mounted there-- its lower edge, said flange being extended at one side to form a supporting shelf.

15. In engine construction, a sheet .metal crank case member having a flange around its lower edge, said flange being extended at one side to form a supporting shelf, and brackets rigidly secured thereto for strengthening said shelf.

16. Inengine construction, a sheet metal upper half crank case member and a cylinder supporting plate rigidly secured to the upper part thereof.

17. In engine construction, an upper half crank case member, comprising a drawn or stamped sheet metal shell, and cast metal bearing supporting brackets supported by the member and rigidly mounted therein transversely of said shell and suitably spaced.

PHILIP KEMPTER. 

